Domestic equity indices ended Tuesday's session with strong gains, extending their rally for the second consecutive day, tracking positive global cues. However, sentiment remained cautious amid concerns over the US-Iran conflict in the Middle East and elevated crude oil prices, which continue to weigh on investor confidence. Despite these headwinds, value buying at lower levels helped markets sustain momentum and close in positive territory. The Nifty settled above the 23,550 mark, supported by gains in metal and auto stocks, while weakness in IT and FMCG shares capped the upside.

The S&P BSE Sensex jumped 567.99 points or 0.75% to 76,070.84. The Nifty 50 index rose 172.35 points or 0.74% to 23,581.15. In the two consecutive trading sessions, the Sensex and Nifty jumped 2.02% and 1.86%, respectively.

Eternal (up 5.7%), Bharti Airtel (up 2.13%) and ICICI Bank (up 1.25%) boosted the Nifty higher today.

In the broader market, the BSE 150 MidCap Index added 1.08% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index rose 0.43%.

The market breadth was positive. On the BSE, 2,362 shares rose and 1,892 shares fell. A total of 183 shares were unchanged.

The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over the near term, tanked 8.39% to 19.79.

Numbers to Track:

The yield on India's 10-year benchmark federal paper rose 0.13% to 6.715 compared with the previous session close of 6.706.

In the foreign exchange market, the rupee edged lower against the dollar. The partially convertible rupee was hovering at 92.4050 compared with its close of 92.2825 during the previous trading session.

MCX Gold futures for the 2 April 2026 settlement added 0.22% to Rs 156,200.

The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the greenback's value against a basket of currencies, was down 0.06% to 99.52.

The United States 10-year bond yield rose 0.12% to 4.224.

In the commodities market, Brent crude for May 2026 settlement jumped $3.30 or 3.39% to $103.51 a barrel.

Global Markets:

European stocks were trading higher on Tuesday despite oil prices rising above $100 per barrel on resurgent supply concerns.

Meanwhile, investor attention is turning to central bank action this week, with the U.S. Federal Reserve opening a two-day policy meeting on Tuesday.

Asian indices ended mixed as auto and tech stocks gained after Nvidia announced a robust revenue forecast for its key chips and partnerships with carmakers from the region.

The gains in the sectors were fueled by the latest comments from the Nvidia CEO. Jensen Huang said that he expects purchase orders between Blackwell and Vera Rubin chips to reach $1 trillion through 2027 at Nvidia's annual developer conference on Monday.

Shares of automakers Hyundai Motor, Nissan Motor, and Isuzu, as well as China's BYD and Geely, rose after Nvidia announced it was partnering with these companies for its autonomous vehicle development business.

Investors also assessed Iran war developments, with U.S. President Donald Trump looking to delay his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping by 'a month or so' due to the Middle East conflict. Trump was expected to travel to China at the end of March.

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) on Tuesday raised its cash rate by 25 basis points to 4.10% in a narrowly split 5-4 decision, signalling heightened concern among policymakers that inflation could remain above target for longer than previously expected. The central bank highlighted rising fuel costs-linked to the ongoing Middle East conflict-as a key upside risk to inflation, reinforcing expectations that monetary policy may need to stay restrictive in the near term.

Overnight in the U.S., stocks rose while oil prices pulled back as Wall Street tried to recover from another losing week, with investors monitoring the latest developments of the Iran war.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 387.94 points, or 0.83%, closing at 46,946.41. The S&P 500 rose 1.01% to end at 6,699.38, and the Nasdaq Composite gained 1.22% and settled at 22,374.18.

Meta shares gained more than 2% on a report'which the company has called speculative'that it is planning to lay off more than 20% of its workforce.

Stocks in Spotlight:

Eternal spurted 6.15% to Rs 235.70 after a domestic brokerage reiterates bullish view, citing attractive valuations post recent correction and strong long-term growth potential.

Tilaknagar Industries rose 1.34% to Rs 448.60 after a domestic broker initiated coverage with a Buy rating on the counter and a target price of Rs 550.

Reliance Industries (RIL) rose 0.10%. The company announced that it has entered into a binding long-term supply and purchase agreement with Samsung C&T Corporation, South Korea, for the supply of green ammonia over a 15-year period starting in the second half of FY2029.

NOCIL jumped 6.92% after the company's board approved a capital expenditure of approximately Rs 130 crore for capacity expansion of its rubber chemicals portfolio at its Dahej plant in Gujarat.

NMDC added 2.11% after the company said that it has entered into a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation (GMDC) to explore collaboration in the development of rare earth elements (REE) and associated minerals.

Puravankara rose 1.70% after the company said that its subsidiary, Starworth Infrastructure & Construction has secured a construction contract worth Rs 280.35 crore from Vellore Institute of Technology for the development of an academic facility at its Vellore campus.

Oberoi Realty added 3.35% after the company said that it has entered into a development agreement for lands situate at Aram Nagar, Versova, Andheri West, Mumbai.

Prostarm Info Systems advanced 1.73% after the company announced that it has been declared the L1 (lowest) bidder by West Bengal Medical Services Corporation (WBMSC), Kolkata, for a contract valued at Rs 90.44 crore.

Kalpataru Projects International (KPIL) fell 3.23%. The company announced that it, along with its subsidiaries, has secured new orders and notifications of award worth approximately Rs 2,471 crore across multiple business segments.

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries rose 0.46%. The company said that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review the supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for ILUMYA (tildrakizumab) for the treatment of adults with active psoriatic arthritis.

Redington declined 1.80% after the company announced that operatios of its step- down subsidiary, Redington Gulf FZE, in the Gulf region has been impacted due to ongoing geo-political tensions.

Tata Motors rose 0.93%. The company announced a price hike across its commercial vehicle (CV) portfolio, effective from 1 April 2026.

Mastek shed 0.76%. The company said that its wholly owned subsidiary, Mastek UK, has secured a two-year contract with the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), valued at euro 15 million to support the client's Digital Delivery Hub (DDH).

IPO Update:

GSP Crop Science received bids for 84,77,800 shares as against 89,47,367 shares on offer, according to stock exchange data at 16:45 IST on Tuesday (17 March 2026). The issue was subscribed 0.95 times.

The issue opened for bidding on 16 March 2026 and it will close on 18 March 2026. The price band of the IPO is fixed between Rs 304 and 320 per share.

Innovision received bids for 2,12,54,076 shares as against 63,99,943 shares on offer, according to stock exchange data at 16:45 IST on Tuesday (17 March 2026). The issue was subscribed 3.32 times.

The issue opened for bidding on 10 March 2026 and will now close on 17 March 2026. Innovision has extended the IPO closing date to March 17 and revised its price band following a tepid response from investors. The new price band has been fixed at Rs 494 to Rs 519 per share, compared with the earlier range of Rs 521 to Rs 548 per share.

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